Guys we have a problem actually I think I definitely have a problem yeah
no no I'm not trying to say that Royal Enfield's hotly-anticipated
interceptor is the problem no and yes it is the 650cc twin cylinder royal enfield
feel that we've all been waiting for the problem is the questions that you want
answered well not all of them one in particular and I've got a whole list of
questions that you asked us to answer so let's tackle them one by one starting
with the easy ones first first up how much will it cost under two and a half
lakh rupees ex-showroom or about less than 3 lakh rupees on-road for this 650
CC twin cylinder Royal Enfield that's incredible value you're excited aren't
you but how is Royal Enfield managed to pull this off well by making some
crucial decisions for instance no upside on Forks in the front the engine is air
and oil cool it is a liquid cool which would have made it heavier and
more expensive and of course that isn't a hugely powerful engines were 47 on
spine could have done with more but that would have made it you know more
expensive to make as well and when you look at the suspension there's no bonus
shot but you look at what you've got from of this price you've still got a
solid package I love the chrome bits like the handlebar with the brace in the
middle you look at that solid do cradle frame going down that's holding it all
together the fantastic finish for the exhaust or the shocks and of course the
fact that you've got spoke
alloy rims Pirelli Phantom sport comm tires you've got really good kit on offer here that price
tag might make you wonder is the Interceptor solid enough let's find out
you know it does look well finish you look at that handlebar with that brace
which feels solid then there's this tank which looks so well painted and you
don't want it feels solid I mean it feels like it's well put together better
than anything we've seen in the past and I know we said this for the Himalayan as
well when we first wrote it but this feels whole several runs better than
would be experienced on the Himalayan here we really have nothing to nitpick
about this feels like an all-new body in terms of expectation setting
okay so on some fronts it's not like what we've come to expect from our ease
which is great but on some fronts we want it to be like in our ease what I mean is
does it still have the tongue
well no but there is a new bit in town and from the stock exhaust what you get
is a mellow Rumble one that you'll appreciate even at the end of a 500
kilometer right but I can tell you that most rem enthusiasts would love a bit
more volume what's next what's next ah kitna deti hai but Royal Enfield so kitna
vibrate karti h
chai kaa cup hai kya.....chai kaa cup
now we know
it's a royal enfield it's hard to believe right I wouldn't have expected
to stay there for anything above 2,000 rpm but it does and it surprises you on
the road as well 100 kilometers an hour 6 gear 4000 rpm smooth butter smooth and
even if you go faster like you go into higher rpms to seven and a half thousand
rpm with the limiter cuts in even over there you'll get barely anything more
than a throne with the bars or through the seat that's it so if you want to
really pin this open on a highway you could do that as well and actually make
quick effortless progress is this a Royal Enfield I'm talking about a
and of course where are the questions
well when you start up from Delhi and
head to Chandigarh you'll really enjoy that engine because you've got so much
talk and it is smooth so which means you can cruise comfortably 100 feels nice
and easy and 120 that's pretty much fun as well and you also get a nice bump a nd
talk around the 3000 RPM mark which means overtaking well that's not a
bother either and if you really want to make a quick pass that's not one gear
that's about all you'll need and a closed loop fuel injection system means
that it won't splatter on its way up to Tonga and LA sitting position nice
upright roomy it is comfy what will be painful though is the seat it's too soft
which means you'll start feeling the rails underneath pretty soon and that's
something that will also apply to your pillion
and whether you carrying a pillion or luggage do remember to up the preload on
the rear shocks because the suspension is set on the softer side which is great
for everyday use for a single rider but for longer rides to remember to make it
a little bit stiffer otherwise you'll end up feeling a lot of shocks from poor
road surfaces and on those surfaces you will feel that this gets a little bit
bouncy that aside you look at the seat it's slim long so you can pack in a lot
of luggage and there's that tank which actually looks short and broad and you
think that would really hold a lot of fuel but it gets 13.7 litres and when
you combine that with its fuel efficiency on the highway of about 25 or
so you get a range of over 300 kilometers well over 300 but if you want
to go from tandy delay you know what you're going to have to do right
what I'm saying is just to be safe carry some backup
now these 18 spoke alloy wheels look beautiful and will give you that classic retro feel when
you're out there traveling distances but keep one thing in mind while the tires
are the tubeless type on this rim you'll have to run it with the tube which means
in case you get a puncture a puncture wallah I'd better be close by
but if you're worried about ground clearance for those river crossings
don't be because the interceptor has 174 millimeters of ground clearance
that's 40 millimeters more than a classic 350
I know some of you are going to say forget about Ladakh
what about lokhandwala yeah what's it gonna be like in the city and just be
fair we didn't go to Ladakh or lokhandwala
the Interceptor cruises on the highway and it can do the same in the city too
that's because it's got so much torque right from 1500 rpm that's spending the
entire day in third or fourth gear 30 40 kilometers an hour really isn't a hassle
and then the 6-speed gearbox is snake the clutch is light and you just roll on
the gas in third or fourth and it just marches ahead smartly it's not like
super quick but it is more than you would have expected from something that
seems like such a simple engine as such and considering it's an air-cooled
engine you might have been worried about heat but in our experience in the city
yes it got hot but did it cook our thighs no it did not
and that isn't everything either because there's the weight to think about this
in the statement given by Royal Enfield weighs 202 kilograms but that's without
fuel so we estimate this to be about 210 kilograms which is about 18 kilos more
than a Thunderbird 350 that is a bit and you do feel some of it while commuting
in the city it isn't as much as you'd expect but you do feel the weight at the
bars when you steer it around the really sharps during geometry
certainly lightens the load of the bars but it can't make all that weight
disappear
when you get riding it's not so apparent it's especially when you're parking or
moving it around in parking spots that you will feel the weight quite
apparently there's one thing I'd like to warn you about especially at low speeds
and paddling around in the city take care of the foot pegs because of the
large engine they have been pushed outwards and in case of emergencies when
you want to get a foot down you tend to fumble with them that is until you get
used to them so yeah keep that in mind and as for Shorty's a seat height of
eight hundred four millimeters isn't all that much and it does make it that much
easier to manage the weight even when you're paddling at low speeds
so in Condor it can commute as you have expected but can it keep up with your
fast friends that work yeah sorry
well I certainly wasn't expecting this the Interceptor it's quick in a straight
line from zero to hundred it will run really close with the KTM 392 so yes
this bike has space and even if you open up in gear and accelerate and go head to
head with something like a KTM 392 which is known for being great value for money
and really important in terms of performance the Interceptor it might run
a little bit behind but it can hold its own and it doesn't just stop over there
in terms of braking performance it stops shorter than a 390 Duke and on par with
something like a Kawasaki Vulcan S so that is impressive performance from this
floating 320 mm Brembos up front and those purely tires that it's got however
there's one thing I like to point out and that's the ABS on looser surfaces
doesn't feel very consistent the braking could have felt more confidence
inspiring on that front but if you just check it around corners nice sweepers
you'll find that it flows really nicely it has a lot of confidence but if you
really start hustling it that's when it starts feeling a little bit nervous but
it won't make you feel nervous that is a definite upside it'll just let
you get a hint and you should probably back off now
let me say this loud and clear the braking power on the Interceptor is
phenomenal check out these numbers even if it is stopping one meter earlier it
is commendable because the re is heavier than these bikes and it continues to Wow
let me explain the ultra sharp rake angle for the steering and the short
trail are responsible for somewhat fidgety steering which can also catch
ruts or undulations also the sidewall of the Pirelli at the rear squishes a bit
and therefore it does what it does treading over wet roads I would
recommend taking some care especially at first and on a side note when you hug
the tank hard it will dig into your thighs and that's all makes me wonder
what the Continental GT will be like
well the Interceptor is doing many things well and taking royal enfield
into a whole new level and actually this is something we've never done before as
well so yeah it's going well but what could royal enfield have done better on
the Interceptor bear with us guys we're bringing you the answers that they is
turning tonight but here's the answer for this question and that is yes it
could have done with a little bit more advanced
for instance the headlamp is that old-school prismatic cover for the lamp
it does its job well it illuminates the road well it's got great throw but it
just looks old and then there's that instrument cluster it looks too simple
for a bike that's looking take the Royal Enfield Rider to a new level of
experiences a whole new level of richness that doesn't quite cut it in
the interest of being classical some things have taken a hit conveniences
like a gear position indicator mirrors that actually show you what's behind you
are necessities for me today well we are really close to the question that I'd
love to avoid but before we get there this question is what you want answer
should you buy an interceptor 650
I'm going to answer that a little bit differently by trying to highlight why
you shouldn't buy an RE interceptor and I know we are kind of in the twilight
zone but this is for real this motorcycle it's kind of hard to fault it
does so many things and does them so well that you'd end up reaching out for
the keys of the Interceptor way more than you originally expected yes I did
think it was going to play to my heart a bit more but it's actually playing more
to this and when you factor in the price this ends up seeming like a versatile
sensible package that's really hard to resist the interceptors charm will creep
up on you it's a motorcycle with a lot of maturity and if you are a similar
kind of rider you know what to do
and finally the question that I would have loved to dodge should you buy one
now the first slot
well when he first wrote the Himalayan media bikes we were hugely impressed and
we stood up and watched for it and then you know what happened and this time
around with the interceptor the feeling's pretty much the same but on a
whole different level this motorcycle really feels very impressive very well
built and so I would love to stand up for it but this time around I'm gonna
just hold back for now and here's a bonus question and it's for you you
couch potatoes get those fingers moving and punch in some comments below let us
know what you thought of the Interceptor 650 from Royal Enfield did it excite
you if yes tell us why if not can we drop a
thought in your head what do you think about a Himalayan 650 does that excite
you well let us know in the comments and while we wait for that to turn into
reality there's something else that's already here and that's the Interceptor
sibling the Continental GT 650 we'll be riding that soon and we'll bring you a
review of that you're on ZigWheels so stay tuned